Introduction

Saber means “to know”, and this page covers exactly one thing: saber in the pretérito perfeito. The pretérito perfeito is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full pretérito perfeito table for saber, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito imperfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about saber in the pretérito perfeito. It means to know a fact, or to know how to do something, and it is different from conhecer, which means to know a person or a place. Its present is irregular — sei, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabeis, sabem — and its pretérito perfeito is soube, so learn the eu and ele forms carefully. For example: “Ele soube a resposta ontem.” — “He knew the answer.” Everything on this page uses the forms of saber exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Saber in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu soube
tu soubeste
ele/ela soube
nós soubemos
vós soubestes
eles/elas souberam
Gerund: sabendo · Past participle: sabido
The gerund is sabendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Sabendo a resposta, aprendo muito.” — “While knowing the answer, I learn a lot.” The past participle is sabido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho sabido is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the pretérito perfeito is only one part of how saber is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for saber, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of saber is formed

The pretérito perfeito of saber has six forms: eu soube, tu soubeste, ele soube, nós soubemos, vós soubestes, eles souberam. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table. saber is irregular in the pretérito perfeito, so the six forms have to be learnt as a set instead of derived from the infinitive. The stem changes completely in this tense, and no rule predicts the forms — learn them whole, starting with eu and ele, the two forms you will use most.

Two things about the pretérito perfeito of saber are worth noticing. First, it is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ontem, esta semana and no ano passado — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense. Second, it is a simple tense, built from one word, unlike the pretérito perfeito composto, which needs ter plus the participle sabido: tenho sabido. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of saber is one word per person, it is cheap to learn once the six forms are fixed. Learn them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and say each one with a time word, so the tense and its time words are learnt together.

When to use the pretérito perfeito of saber

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use saber in the pretérito perfeito most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The pretérito perfeito describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Portuguese. When the action has a clear end, the pretérito perfeito is the natural choice. Example: “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” — “I knew the answer.”

2. Recent events

Use the pretérito perfeito for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Ele soube a resposta ontem.” — “He knew the answer.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the pretérito perfeito. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Nós soubemos a resposta ontem.” — “We knew the answer.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the pretérito perfeito for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu soubeste a resposta ontem.” — “You knew the answer.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the pretérito perfeito carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Eles souberam a resposta ontem.” — “They knew the answer.”

Pretérito Perfeito vs Pretérito Imperfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the pretérito perfeito is the pretérito imperfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action, while the pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the pretérito perfeito sentences use words such as ontem or esta semana, while the pretérito imperfeito sentences use antigamente or todos os dias.

  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele soube a resposta ontem.” — “He knew the answer”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele sabia a resposta antigamente.” — “He used to know the answer”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” — “I knew the answer”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu sabia a resposta antigamente.” — “I used to know the answer”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu soubeste a resposta ontem.” — “You knew the answer”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu sabias a resposta antigamente.” — “You used to know the answer”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

Example sentences: saber in the pretérito perfeito

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” — “I knew the answer”
  2. “Tu soubeste a resposta ontem.” — “You knew the answer”
  3. “Ele soube a resposta ontem.” — “He knew the answer”
  4. “Nós soubemos a resposta ontem.” — “We knew the answer”
  5. “Vós soubestes a resposta ontem.” — “You knew the answer”
  6. “Eles souberam a resposta ontem.” — “They knew the answer”
  7. “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” — “I knew the answer”
  8. “Ele soube a resposta ontem.” — “He knew the answer”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu sei a resposta ontem.” Right: “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito soube for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu sabia a resposta ontem.” Right: “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” Why: The pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual past action, not one finished event. For a single finished action yesterday, use the pretérito perfeito soube.
  • Wrong: “Eu soubeste a resposta.” Right: “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” Why: The eu form is soube, not soubeste. soubeste is the tu form. Match the verb to the subject every time.
  • Wrong: “Eu saber a resposta.” Right: “Eu soube a resposta ontem.” Why: The infinitive saber never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After eu you need the conjugated pretérito perfeito form soube.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) soubeste
    • B) soube
    • C) soubemos
    • D) soubestes

  2. What is the tu form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) soube
    • B) soubemos
    • C) soubeste
    • D) soubestes

  3. What is the ele/ela form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) soubeste
    • B) soubemos
    • C) soubestes
    • D) soube

  4. What is the nós form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) soubemos
    • B) soube
    • C) soubeste
    • D) soubestes

  5. What is the vós form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) soube
    • B) soubestes
    • C) soubeste
    • D) soubemos

  6. What is the eles/elas form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) soube
    • B) soubeste
    • C) souberam
    • D) soubemos

  7. What is the eu form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) soubeste
    • B) soubemos
    • C) soubestes
    • D) soube

  8. What is the tu form of saber in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) soubeste
    • B) soube
    • C) soubemos
    • D) soubestes

Answer key

  1. B) soube — the correct form is soube. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) soubeste — the correct form is soubeste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) soube — the correct form is soube. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) soubemos — the correct form is soubemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) soubestes — the correct form is soubestes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) souberam — the correct form is souberam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) soube — the correct form is soube. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) soubeste — the correct form is soubeste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does saber mean in English?

saber means “to know”. It is a irregular -er verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of saber formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu soube, tu soubeste, ele soube, nós soubemos, vós soubestes, eles souberam.

When do I use the pretérito perfeito instead of the pretérito imperfeito?

Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. Use the pretérito imperfeito for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of saber?

The gerund is sabendo and the past participle is sabido. The perfect tenses use ter + sabido.

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